OT: Lions trade up, draft Jahvid Best
Interesting pick!!
I like it a lot.
I had actually been hoping we'd take Toby Gerhard in the second round, but trading up for Best, I'll take it.
With him, Johnson, and Stafford, our offense could be pretty good. We just need to improve the O-line now.
And our defense got a lot better w/ Suh.
Things are looking up for the Lions. Improve the O-line and we could maybe (knock on wood) make the playoffs in a couple years.
What does everyone think about the pick?
(And btw, the video of his injury still makes me cringe.)
April 22nd, 2010 at 11:20 PM ^
Means nothing if the O-line sucks. Great teams are built on the line.
April 22nd, 2010 at 11:24 PM ^
Guys like Best and Spiller don't need room to make a big play. Why am I bringing up Spiller you ask? Well because he's on my Bills.
April 22nd, 2010 at 11:29 PM ^
that you think ANY RB doesn't need blocks to make big plays. Ask Reggie Bush if RBs need room to get going.
April 22nd, 2010 at 11:31 PM ^
Barry Sanders disagrees with this statement.
April 22nd, 2010 at 11:45 PM ^
proves the rule........
BS was a once in a lifetime player.
his line was also not as bad as people make it out to be. He was a part of a high-powered and well-balanced offense. Herman Moore broke a few records with that offense. RB is the most disposable position, Kevin Smith would be having a nice career with the Denver Broncos.
EDIT: A few team records, but only one NFL record (at the time) 123 receptions in a season.
April 23rd, 2010 at 12:10 PM ^
The line may have been better at pass protection than run blocking but we may never know wince most of the offense was run out of the gun. If you watch BS highlight tapes you can see how bad out line was, he had to make his first spin move behind the line of scrimmage most of the time to avoid a huge loss.
This post SHOULD be negged. No one mentioned is in the same state as Barry.
As requested, I just negged your post. Good luck.
April 23rd, 2010 at 12:18 PM ^
There are literally hundreds of thousands of people in the same state as Barry in Oklahoma.
but the Saints running game lives only because of its line. it's the reason they can sign guys undrafted or off the street and they can end up having 700+ yd seasons. did anyone know who Pierre Thomas or Mike Bell were before this/last season?
Pierre Thomas was the reason why Rashard Mendenhall didn't start until his JR year when Thomas already ran for 1000 yard the year before and the year before that.
Mike Bell ran for over 1000 yards when he was with the Broncos.
So there. :-P
April 22nd, 2010 at 11:23 PM ^
When I saw the graphic, I thought they had followed Lion Logic and traded Suh down for the pick. This could end up being the front office that actually builds a decent team in Detroit.
April 22nd, 2010 at 11:24 PM ^
Ok, but I really thought they would use the 2nd round pick on an OLB. I'm interested to see if they trade back up, or if they have a guy identified who they think will still be available in the 3rd.
Best is a good player, and I think he will be used a lot in the passing game.
April 22nd, 2010 at 11:37 PM ^
They may be looking at Trevor Anderson DE/OLB from Michigan State later in the draft. He had a great pro day and they really like him as an OLB.
Following in the footsteps of Otis Wiley
AGREED. They traded up and Sergio Kindle was there for the taking. Dude's a beast and I would have loved to see him in a Lions uniform.
April 23rd, 2010 at 10:16 AM ^
I heard on the radio on the way into work that Kindle didn't fit the Lions D scheme. Apparently he is more of a 3-4 LB
April 22nd, 2010 at 11:24 PM ^
i agree, the O-Line needs to be upgraded desperately. hard to run anywhere when the D-lineman are in the backfield by the time you get the ball (unless you're Barry Sanders, that is). but i do like this for the fact that it will open up the deep ball downfield for Calvin.
April 22nd, 2010 at 11:25 PM ^
I was personally a big fan of Joe McKnight out of USC and we could have gotten him in the third. Didn't have a lot of hype because he had to split carries with like 98238 RBs in college. I would have stood pat and waited to see if Sergio Kindle was still available and taken him.
April 22nd, 2010 at 11:27 PM ^
doesn't really fit in Detroit. They play a 4-3 and Kindle doesn't fit well as a OLB or a DE in a 4-3. He's a 3-4 OLB imo.
April 22nd, 2010 at 11:30 PM ^
I think taking Suh would have allowed him to become a good DE, much like his old teammate Orakpo.
Edit: Unless they have plans of moving Suh to DE, which I have heard might be an option just because he's such a talent.
"Sergio is a beast, but NFL teams maybe be afraid he can't like, you know, read"
Apparently he isn’t the sharpest eraser in the pencil drawer.
When I read your post about Kindle being ... well ... not so bright it reminded me of this
http://barkingcarnival.fantake.com/2009/06/26/sergio-kindle-drives-his-…
April 22nd, 2010 at 11:30 PM ^
I wouldn't say McKnight didn't have a lot of hype. He was hyped in college a ton. Also, he shared carries with a bunch of other backs because he couldn't take the job himself as a full-time back.
April 22nd, 2010 at 11:35 PM ^
I'm not talking about college....I'm fully aware how much hype he had coming out of high school.
Couldn't take the job? Yeah, because USC doesn't have a ridiculous amount of talent at the skill positions every year.
April 22nd, 2010 at 11:41 PM ^
I'm not talking about coming out of high school. He had a lot of hype while in college. He was the top recruit in the nation and couldn't take the top spot in the running back rotation. I don't care how many backs they had. He was never the top back.
April 23rd, 2010 at 12:13 AM ^
He only averaged a little under 7 YPC during his career. Again, USC never handed the reins to one back at anytime during Carroll's tenure and that included the Bush era, and he was perhaps the most lauded recruit in college history. And most paid.
April 23rd, 2010 at 12:19 PM ^
Comparing McKnight's situation to Bush's is silly - CJ Gable is not LenDale White. The reason that no one took over the starting job at SC this past year is because no one was all that good. I don't care how many good backs a team has, if you have NFL first round talent, you should take over the starting job.
I'm just real confused as to how this guy all of a sudden has no talent when he averaged almost 7 every time he touched the ball last year in an offense that couldn't throw.
I never said McKnight was Reggie Bush either and definitely didn't say he was a first round pick, just that he was a viable third round pick in this draft when Detroit could have taken a Kindle/Jerry Hughes type player with the 30th pick they traded up for.
April 22nd, 2010 at 11:27 PM ^
I don't know I think he still would have been around so there was no need to move up. He's been injury prone the last couple years so I question his durability but if he can catch coming out of the backfield he could be a pretty good 3rd down back
April 22nd, 2010 at 11:28 PM ^
Boy, I don't know about Best. He's great...when he's in the game. Hopefully the concerns over his injury prone-osity will be overblown like AD's, but I think Detroit could've/should've waited for an RB. I really like Legarrette Blount.
Here's hopin'.
April 22nd, 2010 at 11:32 PM ^
I think the Lions did a good job shoring up the left side of the O-Line with the pickup of the Rob Sims. The coaching staff has said that Backus has been solid at LT. Raiola in the middle is still solid. Cherilus has this year to prove himself at RT, or else he's gone. I think they have a decent OL, and probably middle level overall compared to the rest of the league.
I love the trade to get Best. He is a game breaker and a great change-of-pace back. You need two quality RB's in the league to do some damage. If Kevin Smith comes back OK, I think we have that now.
Another good move by the front office.
April 23rd, 2010 at 12:33 AM ^
They aren't as awful on the O-line as a lot of people think they are. They aren't great by any stretch, but they are certainly serviceable, especially with so many weapons the D has to worry about.
OL gave up 43 sacks and ranked 26th in YPC. Id say that isn't really serviceable. Sure Sims helps, but its still a bottom 5 OL.
Because I like your avatar. I'm a Mike Hart fan, too.
April 22nd, 2010 at 11:33 PM ^
Stafford will miss half the season due to injury.
I know's he's a Wolverine, but Backus simply sucks as a left tackle.
April 22nd, 2010 at 11:35 PM ^
Im excited to see a running back like this in a lions uniform. The next Chris Johnson!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-36lH9vAb4
He tears up sparty in the first part of the video
The dude has definitely got a set of wheels; fast, quick, and elusive. He could be special, we shall see, but if not the Lions reached and gambled for naught. There are other needs the team has that could of been address without a deal, but management to me has done a commendable job in the short time they have been on the job so I won't critique the move. Hopefully the Lions can become a playoff team...the Mitchell to Green pass for a TD in the NFC finals against Washington in '91 is still emblazoned on my mind, kind of like the highwater mark of the organization for like, ever. That was great to celebrate, here's to hoping it happens soon again.
April 22nd, 2010 at 11:39 PM ^
That is a complete Millen pick. They need to focus on O Line. It has been bad for like fifteen years.
a complete Millen pick would have been taking Jimmy Clausen at #4. "But we already have a QB!" you say... to which i respond "exactly".
I was actually hoping we'd go after Best. I don't know that we needed to trade up for him, but guys like Best are rare.
April 23rd, 2010 at 11:59 AM ^
" don't know that we needed to trade up for him, but guys like Best are rare."
You forgot the ending: "but guys like Best are rare-ly on the field."
April 22nd, 2010 at 11:43 PM ^
My first reaction when I saw the Lions traded up was, "Awesome, they can pick up a solid O-Lineman in the first round!" I'm not questioning Best's ability, but I do question the need for a new RB over the need to improve the line.
That said, best first round from the Lions that I can remember!
April 22nd, 2010 at 11:54 PM ^
Jesus, people act like the line is the worst part of the team. It isn't.
The OL improved markedly last year, but because the Lions started a rookie who had to throw because the Lions were behind all the time they gave up a significant number of sacks.
Besides, you can build a good line with FA'S and mid-round picks. See Colts, Pats, and Steelers.
My7 issue with is Best's injury problems and the fact that they didn't go after a DB. CB is BY FAR the worst position group on the team. Than it is safety because it is Delmas and......
April 23rd, 2010 at 12:08 AM ^
Touche about the OL. I'm so used to it being horrible, I didn't think too much about how the rookie QB combined with the terrible defense really makes the line look worse than it is. Still, having a really good OL (rather than a mediocre one) is a huge benefit, and I still wish they would have picked up an OL.
April 23rd, 2010 at 12:20 AM ^
Durability is a legit concern but I also think people are making too big a deal of it. He missed one game in 2008. In '09 there was the big concussion, but you can't watch that and tell me that's a durability issue...you take the most durable RB in the world and let him suffer a fall like that, he's still gonna miss some games.
April 23rd, 2010 at 12:40 PM ^
that since we lead the league in INTs that he wasn't taking as many sacks as he should have and made INTs instead?
April 23rd, 2010 at 12:00 AM ^
The Lions identified positions that need to be filled as soon as possible. There is no waiting around for a few more Couple win seasons. Jahvid Best will be a compliment to Kevin Smith and Jerome Felton, because they are pure power. I think a I -form with Best and Felton could confuse DEFENSES. Suh is a guranteed starter. Schwartz brought in experienced talent around Suh to make his tansition much easier. I give this draft a A+.
April 23rd, 2010 at 12:12 AM ^
the lions got the best player in the draft(as a texas fan, i know how much suh can utterly dominate a game) and a very good running back. that said, dont jump to the "A+!" conclusion just yet. if they continue to make good picks after tomorrow, then i'd be all aboard that train.
April 23rd, 2010 at 12:25 AM ^
was a smart move due to the lack of depth at the running back position in this year's class. sure u could have stayed and picked gerhart but that doesnt really make a good combination with the backs that the lions currently have(power + power).